"The Forest Service is expected this week to formally launch a monthslong process to eventually amend federal greater sage grouse conservation plans covering more than a dozen national forests and grasslands in six Western states."
"The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday laid out the next steps it will take to clean up wastewater flowing from dozens of old mines in southwestern Colorado, including dredging contaminated sediment from streambeds and digging ditches to divert water away from tainted rocks and soil."
"A Canadian company is looking to extract copper and other minerals from the site of a former mine that was, until recently, within the boundary of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and off limits to such development."
"Freshwater fish are the most endangered group of vertebrates on earth. Now, networks of home-based aquarists are trying to save some of the most threatened species, keeping them alive in basement aquariums in the hope they might someday be reintroduced into the wild."
"Michigan could become the first state to get rid of lead pipes for drinking water thanks to new regulations that are stricter than the federal standards for the toxic metal."
"A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected environmentalists’ arguments that the Trump administration has to evaluate the climate change impact of leasing federal land for coal mining."
"In cities and counties across the country — including Little Rock, Ark.; Phoenix, Ariz.; southeast Michigan; central Utah; and here in Tennessee — the Koch brothers are fueling a fight against public transit, an offshoot of their longstanding national crusade for lower taxes and smaller government."
"EPA, facing a tight court-ordered deadline, has sent a proposal to the White House budget office that appears geared to addressing the remaining "good neighbor" obligations for its 2008 ground-level ozone standard."
"WHITEFISH, Mont. — A foundation established by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and headed by his wife is playing a key role in a real-estate deal backed by the chairman of Halliburton, the oil-services giant that stands to benefit from any of the Interior Department’s decisions to open public lands for oil exploration or change standards for drilling."
Chemical plant explosions make for fiery headlines, but then the reporting tends to flame out. The latest Backgrounder spells out why environmental journalists should stay vigilant on chemical safety coverage, with news hooks and ingredients for a potent mix of advance stories.
